Will the Madness End? By Zach

So I suppose I shouldn't have been, but I was stunned to see that not only will the unveiling of the new Madden 07 coverboy be a big deal, but it will be done live on SportsCenter. We all know that ESPN has no shame, but honestly, I'm kind of liking this. Madden is a huge part of modern sports culture, and modern video gaming culture, two things I indulge in frequently. NFLers, and many other athletes, play the game almost non-stop. It's the best selling game of all time, with millions of fans lining up in August to get their hands on it. In other words, it's a big deal in the sports world, and ESPN and SportsCenter should be covering it.

Meanwhile, I'm kinda torn on the whole subject of who should be the coverboy. A part of me thinks that having a Seahawk (Shaun Alexander) on the cover would be great for the team, but I gotta admit: I somewhat fear the Madden Curse. I mean, the last six cover athletes have all gotten hurt or had terrible seasons (or both) the year they appeared on the cover, and I certainly don't want that to happen to Shaun. In fact, if Shaun's not gonna get the nod, can I suggest a Manning? I can't be the only one who wants to see Eli/Peyton have both their legs broken by a marauding linebacker, can I?

EDIT

It's Shaun.